


Strangers are friends you haven't met

by drwhogirl



Series: The Current Professionals [1]
Category: CI5: The New Professionals, The Professionals
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-22
Updated: 2014-08-22
Packaged: 2018-02-14 07:35:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2183328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drwhogirl/pseuds/drwhogirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's 2014 and CI5 has a new set of agents and a new set of commanders. But will 3-7 and 4-5 ever be able to work out their differences? (Any relationships are merely referenced)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Strangers are friends you haven't met

"You're insane." Chris told Sam simply. They had both just watched their newest team training. Most of the partnerships Chris would have agreed with, agents 3-7 and 4-5 however were never going to work. 3-7 was a young woman with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes by the name of Annabelle Macklin, niece of the former CI5 trainer. Agent 4-5 however had black curls and hazel eyes. She had no known biological connections to CI5; no family left alive and experience living on the streets. She was used to surviving on her own initiative. Neither wanted a partner and according to previous experience neither needed one either.  
"That's what they said when Malone paired us." Sam replied coolly.  
"Yeah, but even we got on better than they do."  
"3-7 just needs to adjust to being re-partnered."  
"If those two ever start getting on I'll wear Backup's heels to the office Christmas party." Chris commented lightly.  
"If they don't get on by Christmas, I'll stop dying my hair." Sam responded, causing Chris to look over at him in shock. They'd been disagreeing about that particular subject since Sam took over CI5, 6 months before hand.  
*******  
"Why did you dye your hair?" Chris asked with an exasperated sigh.  
"Is it that obvious that it's dyed?" Sam asked, running a hand self consciously through his hair, as if he'd be able to feel any hairs that weren't dyed properly.  
"It was silver yesterday and today it's black. Of course it's bloody obvious... where are your glasses?"  
"Bedroom."  
"Why aren't you wearing them?" Chris asked, beginning to understand why his mother felt the need to double check everything on his first day at school.  
He didn't hear Sam's muttered response. "What?"  
"They make me look old." Sam repeated louder.  
"You've never cared before."  
"I've never had to earn the respect of the agents like this before."  
"They'd respect you however old you looked Sam." But Sam was already putting his coat on and Chris could tell he was just wasting his breath.  
*******  
Before Chris could think of anything to say the two agents stormed over. "This is completely ridiculous, she's all over the place, doesn't do as she's told and is being deliberately contradictory." Annie snapped, completely unable to keep a lid on her temper.  
"I ain' gonna work with 'er if she'll jus' keep bossin' me abou'" Amy seemed much calmer but there was a slight edge to the girl's smooth northern accent.  
"Well maybe if you did what you were supposed to, we wouldn't have a problem, would we rookie?" Annie growled through gritted teeth.  
"I think we would. You clearly don' like me and don' wan' a par'ner."  
"Well deduced Sherlock." The sarcasm dripping from her voice.  
Amy opened her mouth to respond but was silenced by the look Sam gave her.  
"That's enough, both of you. Go to the break room, you'll be called if you're needed."  
"Yes, sir." Annie replied simply before turning and leaving.  
"Yeah, a'righ'." Amy sighed before following her partner out the room.  
"Looking forward to seeing you losing the hair dye." Chris stated, with a slightly smug smile on his face.  
*******  
The break room was almost empty when they got there, the only occupant being a man who'd fallen asleep on the sofa. Amy looked him over as she slumped into one of the armchairs, he was quite cute. His chestnut curls were falling into his face as he slept, and Amy decided that he could have only been 25 at the most. He started to stir as Annie shut the door and beautiful chocolate brown eyes blinked open. "Who're you?" He slurred sleepily.  
"Reactions that slow could get you killed, Lexington." Annie called from the table, where she'd settled herself down, reading the files of the original 3-7 and 4-5.  
"Oh, shove off Macklin. Charlie and I have been on duty for 48 hours straight."  
"Doesn't matter. Could still have died whatever the reasoning."  
He decided at this point to simply ignore Annie and turned back to Amy. "I'm James, by the way. James Lexington. Agent 5-9"  
"I'm Amy Parker. 4-5."  
"Ah, so you're the unfortunate replacement then. Well good luck there."  
"Heard that." Annie called from the table.  
"Meant to." James called back. Amy watched the easy back and forth with amazement. Despite Annie's comments when James first woke up, the teasing showed that really they got on rather well.  
"I keep 'earing people mention I'm replacin' someone. Who? Wha' 'appened?" Amy asked James, pitching her voice low so Annie wouldn't hear.  
James looked rather startled at the question. "You mean no one's told you?" Amy nodded her confirmation and he sighed, resigning himself to having to recount the story. "You're not Annie's first partner. There was someone else before you. A man by the name of Jack, Jack Prentice. He and Annie always got on really well but..." He paused for a moment, looking Amy over, as if checking he could trust her. Seeming satisfied he continued. "He went mad. Couldn't handle the job, became paranoid and attacked Annie. That's why she's being so off with you. She's scared to let another partner get too close in case it happens again."  
Amy's eyes widened in surprise and she glanced over at the other girl, sympathy shining from her eyes. "Wha' do I do?"  
"Be there for her and prove that you won't go the same way as Jack." James told her simply.  
"A'righ' I'll try."  
"And if the worst comes to the worst, then after four weeks you're allowed to apply for reassignment."  
"I'll bare tha' in min'" Amy told him with a half smile. "Thanks."  
"No problem. Anything to help out a newbie." He replied, smiling back.  
*******  
When the end of the day finally came, Amy offered Annie a lift home. Annie hadn't brought her car and lived a few miles away and given the choice she'd rather not brave the public transport system. They were sat in silence for about half of the drive whilst Amy tried to think of something she could say to her new partner.  
"So... I saw you chatting with James earlier." Annie commented lightly. Amy looked up at her in surprise. This was the first time Annie had tried to initiate a conversation with her in the whole time they'd known each other.  
"Yeah. 'e's really nice." Amy said simply, trying to work out where this was going.  
"He's a real sweetie that one." Annie muttered.  
"Are you two..." Amy started, but Annie cut her off.  
"No. He's got a thing for Emily. Besides he's not really my type."  
"Have ya go' anyone special?" Amy asked, curiosity overwriting her good judgement. Annie didn't respond and when Amy took her eyes off the road to glance over at her, she saw that Annie had shut her out once again. Instead of trying to get a reaction, Amy concentrated on manoeuvring her new CI5 issue mini around a particularly tricky junction. "Sorry, didn' mean to intrude."  
Annie shook her head. "No, it's fine. It's a perfectly reasonable question given the conversation subject but it's not something I'd really like to go into with someone I don't even know. It's nothing personal."  
Amy nodded her understanding before going back to concentrating on driving. Annie took this opportunity to properly study her partner for the first time. She noticed how Amy's black locks cascaded down her shoulders; how when she was concentrating really hard she'd chew her lip. She noticed the scruffy hoodie being used to hide a newly issued shoulder holster and how the girl would keep shifting her shoulders as she adjusted to the weight and feel. She quickly decided Amy was in need of a new wardrobe as she looked over the patched and repatched jeans, faded t-shirt and falling apart trainers.  
She then used the sun visor mirror to check herself over. Her long blonde hair was still perfect in it's bun; her blouse as white as the day she bought it and her black trousers and matching jacket were both looking as if they'd just been picked up from the dry cleaner. Her makeup was still immaculate, except perhaps for most of her lipstick coming off. That was another thing she realised about her new partner, she didn't wear any makeup. "How come you don't wear makeup?" She asked as she reapplied her lipstick. She was going to have to work with Amy anyway, she may as well know a little more about her.  
"Jus' don'." Amy replied with a shrug. "Wha's the poin' if no one will no'ice when it really ma'ers?"  
"Because it makes you look nice." Annie explained.  
"I be' no one would commen' if you stopped."  
Annie considered it for a moment. "Alright, I won't wear any makeup tomorrow and if anyone comments on the fact you have to give me a fiver."  
"Alrigh'." Amy agreed as they pulled up outside Annie's flat. "Cya t'morrow."  
"Yeah, bye Amy." Annie said as she got out of the car and closed the door behind her. Amy smiled to herself, maybe this wouldn't be as bad as she thought.  
*******  
A couple of weeks later Annie was back being cold, distant and provoking once again.  
"Wha's wrong with 'er?" Amy asked as she played cards with: James; his sister and partner Charlotte (or Charlie for short) and his crush Emily Murphy (daughter of an ex CI5 agent).  
"Her old partner." Charlotte stated, glancing up from her cards to glance over at Annie, sat alone on the sofa on the other side of the room.  
"I ge' anymore than tha'?"  
"He was sent to a mental institution, but he ran off last night." James explained.  
Amy was completely lost for words. She glanced over at her partner and without saying anything, put her cards down and went to sit on the armchair opposite Annie. "They tol' me wha' 'appened Annie. You wanna talk?"  
"No." Annie's answer was curt and simple.  
"Annie I wanna help you. Please."  
For the first time that day, Annie looked up at her partner and Amy saw the hopelessness in her eyes. "There's nothing you can do Amy. The only thing you can do is stay away from me and hope he doesn't try and get to me by hurting you."  
"Would 'e?"  
"He thinks I've betrayed him by getting a new partner and he believes I abandoned him in that mental institution. He's hurt and he believes me to be the cause. He'd do whatever it took to hurt me back." Amy saw tears starting to form in her partner's eyes and gently pulled her into a comforting hug.  
"'Ey, c'mon, don' cry. You'll smudge your mascara."  
That earned a weak laugh. "Not wearing any. After what you said about makeup, I stopped wearing it to see if you were right."  
"An' I was wasn' I?" It was a rhetorical question but Annie nodded anyway. "You look jus' as beau'iful withou' it." When Annie calmed down, Amy gently pulled her to her feet. "C'mon, le's ge' ya home."  
*******  
So much for top level security. Jack thought to himself as he started moving things around. Searching, searching for anything he could use. Annie must have some kind of weak spot, if only he could find it. He'd spent the last 15 minutes going through her flat, trying to find a way of hurting her. He froze for a second when he heard a car pull up outside. Glancing out the window he saw Annie getting out of the passenger seat of a silver mini. His eyes shone with delight when he saw her saying goodbye to the driver. They clearly got on, and very well, he'd found a weak spot. He slipped out of the flat, already planning how to make Annie's life a living hell.  
*******  
Everyone could see Annie wasn't happy when she got into work, half an hour late, the next day. Her car was still in the garage and Amy hadn't come to pick her up so she'd had to get a taxi. The first thing she did, on arriving at the office, is go in search of her partner. "Are you alright Annie?" Emily asked as she came into the locker room.  
"Have you seen Amy?"  
"No, I haven't. Wasn't she meant to be giving you a lift in?"  
It felt as if Annie had got a bucket of ice water chucked over her. Amy hadn't come in today, if Amy hadn't been going to come in then she would have called to let Annie know... wouldn't she? Before the thought had even properly crossed Annie's mind, she took off at a run.  
*******  
The door to Sam's office burst open, causing both inhabitants to jump. Chris and Sam had been looking over some case details together when Annie slammed the door open. They both cautiously lowered their guns and looked over the slightly panicked girl. She was looking rather like something a cat might drag in and her breathing was coming in pants. Something had clearly gone wrong and rather than reprimanding her for just bursting in, and risking upsetting the situation more, Sam offered Annie a seat. "Now what appears to be the matter miss Macklin?" He asked her gently.  
"It's Amy, sir." Annie told him between pants. "She's gone missing, she didn't come into work, she didn't phone anyone and she's not at home."  
"Have you checked with her family?" Chris asked.  
"She doesn't have a family, they were killed when she was a kid."  
"She has foster parents. Maybe they know something." Sam explained. Annie nodded.  
"I'll try there. Thank you sir." She got up and headed to her computer, hoping to find out what she could before it was too late.  
*******  
Annie took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell. It hadn't taken long to find where Amy's foster parents lived. She was now stood outside a two bedroom flat in the middle of London, according to the files it had once been a CI5 flat. It seemed to be a fairly nice neighbourhood, and Annie couldn't help but smile at the thought of little Amy growing up there, starting her first day at a new school, bringing friends back for sleepovers. She was suddenly snapped out of her revere when the door was opened.  
She was slightly stunned when she saw who opened the door. He'd aged quite a bit, but then he would have done, but it was definitely him. Raymond Doyle.  
She took a moment to get things organized in her head before pulling out her ID and showing it to him. "My name's Annabelle Macklin. I'm here about your foster daughter, Amelia Parker."  
"What's happened?" Annie could tell he was instantly fearing the worst, but then he'd been in the same line of business and knew how it worked.  
"I'm afraid she's gone missing. When was the last time you had contact with Miss Parker?" It was taking all her effort to keep up the professional, detached front but one look into those piercing green eyes and she knew he could see straight through it.  
"Yesterday evening. She was phoning to check up with us. Make sure everything was ok."  
"Do you know where she might..." Annie was cut short by her phone going off. "Excuse me." She picked up her phone and moved across the room to where she was just out of Doyle's earshot. "3-7."  
"3-7. Alpha 1 here." Sam's voice came through her phone. "We've just had a message come in from one Jack Prentice. It appears he's the cause of 4-5's disappearance."  
"Has he left any demands?"  
"Yes. One. He wants you to meet him."  
Annie didn't even pause before asking, "what's the address?"  
*******  
Annie looked around her, absorbing her surroundings. She was stood in the middle of an abandoned warehouse. The place was practically falling apart at the seams. There was nowhere to go for cover and as of yet no sign of her partner, or even her ex partner.  
She checked her watch. One minute to go. She looked up at the screeching of tires as a van came to a stop barely a foot in front of her.  
"So you decided to come then." The man who addressed her was built like a tank. His dirty blonde hair fell to his shoulders and a fringe almost completely covered his watery blue eyes.  
"Where is she Jack?"  
"Get rid of your gun first." Annie sighed. She pulled her gun out, put the safety on and threw it to the side.  
"Good girl. Now you may see your 'partner'." He made the last word sound as if it were some kind of vulgar swear that he didn't approve of. He took her round to the back of the van and opened it up.  
There, lying unconscious with her hands cuffed and a gag in her mouth, was Amy. Other than the cut where she'd had a blunt instrument to the side of her head, she seemed relatively unscathed. There were a few cuts and bruises and possibly a broken arm but nothing she wouldn't recover from.  
Annie let out a sigh of relief before turning back to Jack. "What do you want from me?"  
"I want to make you pay. I trusted you and you let me down." He pulled out his own gun and held it pointed at Annie's head. "And you will pay. With your life." A shot rang out and then silence.  
*******  
"That was a risky shot." Annie heard Sam telling Charlie outside Amy's hospital room.  
"You could have killed 3-7." Chris added.  
"It was either a small chance of me shooting her by accident or a certain chance of Jack killing her." Charlie explained calmly.  
Annie ignored the rest of the conversation as Amy started to stir. "Wha' 'appened?" She asked, voice slurred slightly by the medication she'd been put on.  
"Jack got you. I'm so sorry Amy."  
"Annie..."  
"No. Amy. Please. It's my fault, when he started to loose it I broke things off with him and I shouldn't have done. He took everything out on you and that should never have been allowed to happen. I can't expect and certainly don't deserve any forgiveness but I'll do anything I can to make it up to you."  
"Oh c'mere you." Amy used her good arm to pull her partner into a hug.  
*******  
"You're not actually gonna make me do this... are you?" Chris gave his partner a slightly uneasy look.  
"A bet's a bet." Sam told him with a grin. "However much I love you I'm still going to collect."  
The look on Chris' face was mutinous as he rang Backup's doorbell.  
"Hey guys." She greeted them with a smile. "What can I do for you?"  
"Chris needs to borrow some of your high heels."  
"Why..." Backup was about to ask why they'd want them but quickly thought better of it. "None of mine would fit. I might have some belonging to a friend of mine though."  
"Does she have big feet?" Sam asked.  
"He has feet about the same size as Chris."  
"Perfect." Sam grinned and Chris couldn't help but groan. This'd be a long Christmas party.  
*******  
The girls were both giggling as they walked back to Amy's after the Christmas party and a little too much till drink. "Did you see Mr Keel's shoes?"  
Amy nodded in apparent hysterics at the memory. "Wha' abou' Em'ly an' James fin'lly ge'ing together?" Amy stumbled slightly over the doorstep of her block of flats and Annie helped her stay on her feet, just about.  
"Took them long enough."  
Amy didn't even need to offer for Annie to come up, as they both made their way up to the third floor. They both collapsed on the sofa and carried on talking for a while but before too long they'd both fallen asleep. This year both girls finally had what they had always wanted for Christmas. A best friend.


End file.
